Ghosts
by jekkah
Summary: Mary's having a rough time with some ghosts of her past. Set about two years after the finale. Short story with an epilogue. Rated M for language only
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: I honestly never expected to get back into the IPS writing game, but the muses have surprised me. Here's just a short little story set a few years after the finale. Hope you enjoy!_

 **GHOSTS**

"It's a really good opportunity for me."

Sitting in lounge chair next to her pool, Mary raised her bottle of whiskey at the apparition of Mark in salute. "Of course, it is."

"I'll be back at least once a month to see Norah and I'll be able to take her for a few weeks in the summer, too."

"Sure, you will." She took a swig of whiskey before pointing at imaginary Mark. "It's only been what? Six, seven months since we heard from you?"

"I'll be able to pay really good child support."

Mary rolled her eyes. "Still waiting for a single penny of that!"

Turning to the side as Mark's smiling face faded into nothingness, Mary groaned as Brandi appeared in a white miniskirt, packing a suitcase. Mary muttered, "Not this fucking shit, too."

"It's a really good opportunity for me and for Ava."

Mary nodded and repeated, "Of course, it is."

"I'll just be gone a couple of months and I'll make a ton of money. It's just like what I did for Scott before."

"Sure." Mary rolled her eyes, taking more to drink.

"I'll send some money back for Ava's care," Abstract Brandi assured her. "And I'll call at least once a week. No! Twice a week. I'll get back here as soon as I can. Ava and I might be able to get our own place then."

Mary pursed her lips together and shook her head. "Apparently, getting back here as soon as you can is code for sending paperwork cutting your parental rights and leaving me a single mother of two! Just like our mother!"

Mary raised her eyes to the dark sky and chugged most of the remaining bottle. "Well, if this night is going to go as scheduled, then you should be right on time." Mary moved her head to the left to find non-corporeal Marshall staring back at her. "Look, right on time!"

"It's a good opportunity for Abigail."

"Of course, it is," Mary mumbled. "Who cares if you have to give up a job that you love?"

"It's more money; more responsibility. It'll fast-track her career," Marshall continued. "We may even be able to start a family."

Mary shuddered. "Just what we need: more cheerleaders running around."

"We'll still be able to keep in touch: e-mail and phone calls. We might even be able to visit every so often. I promise that whomever they get to replace me will be fantastic… and lenient."

"Or they'll get no replacement and they'll just shut down the office instead." Mary's eyes welled up against her better judgment. "And what about my best friend? Who are you going to get to replace him? Oh, that's right! We weren't allowed to be best friends anymore. Because once I got cast aside for someone new! Get the hell out of here, Marshall, and stop haunting me!"

Mary threw her whiskey bottle at the apparition, only to jump in surprise when there was a yelp in the darkness. "Who the hell is there?"

"Jesus, Mary!" Marshall hissed. "Are you trying to kill me?"

"That depends," she replied, bitterness lacing her voice, "on why you're here in my backyard on my night of freedom instead of a thousand miles away with your chipper little wife."

Marshall clenched his jaw, stepping closer. "I don't have a wife anymore."

Mary had the decency to look ashamed. "What are you talking about?"

"May I?" Marshall gestured to the second lounge chair. When Mary nodded, he sat. "Abigail's pregnant."

"So you divorced her?"

Glaring at her, he answered, sharply, "No. The baby isn't mine."

Mary grimaced. "Oh."

"Stupid me, though, offered to raise the baby as my own anyway," Marshall continued, "but she wanted to raise the baby with the father, says they fell in love on the job and that she's sorry that it turned out this way."

"Marshall."

"It's no less than I deserve for abandoning my best friend, for abandoning you."

Mary glanced downward at the intensity of his stare. "Why are you here?"

Marshall leaned forward and sighed. "I want my partner back."

"I don't know if you've heard, but they've shut down the Albuquerque office. Your partner isn't there anymore."

"True," he conceded, "but if I've heard correctly, my partner has opened a private detective agency and I'm hoping that she might be willing to take her old partner back."

The corners of Mary's lips rose slightly. "I've already hired two ex-cops to help out on nights and weekends so that I can be home with my girls."

Marshall tipped his head. "Girls?"

"Yes, girls," Mary huffed, standing up. She began to pace. "See, you're not the only one who up and left me. Brandi decided motherhood was just one more thing that she just couldn't handle and she left her kid with me. Not just left her kid with me; she gave her to me, adoption and all. I haven't heard from her in a year. And then, of course, there's Mark, who was going off for a better job opportunity and was going to visit all the time and send money except he seems to have just fallen off the face of the earth. But it's fine. I don't need any of you! I just need my girls and my one night of freedom a month."

"Mary," he breathed out, but she turned from him. Unperturbed, Marshall walked behind her. He grabbed her shoulder and spun her around.

"Why are you here, Marshall?" she asked in a small voice, her arms folded protectively across her chest.

"Because the only time I have ever truly been happy is when I'm here," Marshall tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear, "with you. And I'm going to do anything that I can to prove that to you, even if it takes the rest of my life. I'm not giving up on you this time. I'm not going to hide my feelings because I'm afraid of losing my best friend. I already lost her and it was the worst experience of my life. I'm standing in front of you, Mary Katherine Shannon, and telling you that I love you, I have always loved you, and I will always love you."

Mary slowly moved her eyes up until they reached his. "And you're just going to declare this now? Even though we haven't spoken to each other in a year and a half?"

Marshall unfolded her arms, keeping his hands lightly on her wrists. "Yes. I've wasted too much time not telling you that I love you and even if you don't ever love me back in that way, I will be here and you will know that someone does love you. I will spend every moment of my life proving it to you."

"And if I do… love you in that way?" she timidly questioned.

"Don't… don't toy with me, Mare," Marshall croaked. "I… I couldn't-"

He was cut off by Mary's lips on his. She attacked his mouth as if he was a hamburger and she hadn't eaten in three days. Mary slid her hands to his shoulders and unexpectedly jumped, wrapping her legs around his waist. Marshall stumbled a few steps back to not drop her, his hands slipping onto her ass to stabilize her. Their kissing never stopped.

"Take," Mary gasped as Marshall kissed down her neck, "take me to bed."

Marshall pulled back to look her in the eye. "Don't you think we should take first? Maybe go on a few dates or something?"

Mary shook her head. "What do you think we've been doing for the last eleven years? Take… me… to… bed."

"Anything my girl wishes."

IPSIPSIPSIPSIPSIPSIPSIPSIPSIPSIPSIPS

Mary awoke the next morning to the sun shining in her eyes. She snuggled into her pillow to avoid the sunlight only to realize that her pillow was not a pillow, but a man. Not half a second later, she remembered the man in her bed was Marshall. She blushed as she relived the things that he had done to her body last night.

"I know you're awake," Marshall announced, playing with her hair.

"I might be awake," she grumbled, "but that doesn't mean that I want to be awake."

Marshall chuckled. "Okay. I can understand that. What time do you have to pick up the girls?"

Mary groaned, realizing she wasn't going to get any more sleep. "I usually meet Jinx for lunch."

"Good, then we have a few hours."

Mary looked up at him, her head on his bare chest, and wiggled her eyebrows. "To do what?"

Smiling, Marshall replied, "Pack for the wedding."

"Wedding?" she repeated, sitting up, not caring that she was naked. "What wedding?"

"Our wedding," he answered, calmly. He palmed both of her breasts, rubbing his thumbs over her nipples. Marshall grinned when her face screwed up in protest. "Don't you remember last night? I asked you to marry me and I believe your exact words were 'Yes. Yes! Oh, God, yes'!"

Mary slapped his hands away. "That doesn't count! I was in the middle of-"

"-the best orgasm you ever had?" Marshall finished. "Yes, you admitted that, too. Still, you did agree and I am holding you to it."

"But today?"

Grabbing her wrist, he kissed it. "I'm not letting you get away now that I have you."

Mary's heart skipped a few beats and heat shot straight to her groin. "You don't even know my youngest's name!"

"What's her name?" Marshall asked, casually.

"Ava." Mary shook her head. "You don't know anything about my kids. What if you don't like them? What if you hate being a stepparent?"

Breathing in deeply, Marshall told her in all seriousness, "I already love them because they're your girls. And I don't plan on being a stepparent. I plan on being their dad. Our marriage will assure them that I'm not going away; will assure you that I'm not going away."

Mary's bottom lip quivered. "Marriage is no guarantee."

"It is for me." Marshall sat up and pulled her into a tight hug. "Remember, I'm the guy that offered to stay in a loveless marriage and raise another man's child."

"So, where do you want to get married?"

Marshall breathed in sharply. "Are you actually agreeing to this?"

She laughed. "I am. What could dating possibly tell us about each other that we don't already know? Let's just get to it the rest of our lives."

"Whew!" Marshall shouted in relief. "I was thinking that we could pick up Jinx and the girls and head to Vegas."

"Vegas?"

Marshall nodded. "You've already done City Hall. Plus, we can have a nice little family vacation; a chance for the girls to get to know me and for me to know the girls."

Mary framed his face with her hands and kissed him gently. "I think that sounds like a wonderful idea, doofus."

"Oh, how I have missed you calling me that," he giggled. He glanced at the clock. "How long do you think it will take for you to pack?"

"For me and the girls? Probably about an hour."

Marshall flipped her onto the bed, hovering over her. "Good. Because we have three hours until we need to be anywhere.


	2. Chapter 2

Epilogue

Five years later...

"Let's throw away the birth control and condoms, he says," Mary grumbled, leaning over the toilet. "We're old and unlikely to get pregnant anyway, he claims. Besides, we already have our one together, he promises." She threw up. "Well, look at me now. Forty-five and knocked up for the third time!"

"How you doing, honey?" Marshall asked, walking into the bathroom with a glass of water that he sat beside her.

Mary glared at him. "Don't you honey me! This is all your fault."

Marshall raised his hands. "I know. I didn't think-"

"I know you didn't think! We're already outnumbered, Marshall! And now, we're adding another one on top of it? We're so screwed!"

"We have good kids, Mare," Marshall countered, gently. "And remember how nice it is to have a baby in the house?"

She scoffed, taking a sip of water. "Oh, yeah, the screaming and the feedings and the diaper changes and -"

Mary was cut off abruptly by Norah running into the bedroom, shouting unnecessarily, "The phone's ringing!"

"It's Mark," Marshall whispered, glancing at caller ID.

"Ugh," she groaned before answering it. "Hey, Mark."

" _Hey, doll. How's it going?"_

Mary rolled her eyes. "Fine. And you?"

" _Good. Good. Hey, I'll have that check for you soon."_

"Sure," she sighed, knowing it wouldn't.

" _Can I talk to Norah?"_

"Yep." Mary held the phone out to her oldest. "Bug, it's your dad."

Norah took the phone and rambled out the door, talking softly. Marshall watched as Mary finished off the glass of water. He followed her into the bedroom, flopping down on the bed to watch her dress.

"What do you think Mark wants?" he asked, drawing circles on the blanket.

"To throw general chaos into our lives as always," Mary replied flippantly. "Where is my black shirt?"

Ava stomped into the room. "You wore it two days ago, Mommy. You said it made you look fat and you weren't going to wear until the moocher comes." She jumped onto the bed. "Daddy, what's a moocher?"

Marshall took a sideways glance at Mary's annoyed face before responding, "Someone that takes and never gives back."

"Oh, like Katie," Ava confirmed with a nod.

"Your sister is not a moocher," Mary told her firmly. "She loves you very much and wants to be just like you."

Marshall nodded. "Mommy's not getting a moocher, either. Hey, where is your baby sister anyway?"

Ava shrugged. "I don't know."

"Daddy, help!" Katie cried out, stumbling into the room with her shoes tied together.

"What?" Ava asked when her parents looked at her. "She wanted me to teach her to tie her shoes."

They both opened their mouths to respond when Norah walked back into the room. She handed the phone to Mary. "Here. Mark wants to talk to you." She turned and helped Katie onto the bed before asking Marshall, "Daddy, can we do something fun today?"

Marshall's head danced around, pretending to think about it. "I suppose we could have a picnic in the park."

"With bubbles and frisbees?" Ava begged.

"And ice cream from the guy with the bugging?" Norah added.

Marshall grinned. "As long as you're good. And that means letting Katie play, too."

Ava fell into the bed, dramatically. "Okay."

"Now, why don't you little munchkins go and pack up the play bag?" Marshall suggested, removing Katie's shoes. I'll be there in just a minute."

"You just want to kiss Mommy," Norah teased as she lead the girls out the door. "Ewwww!"

Marshall laughed as he looked to Mary, who was now off the phone. "That is definitely your kid! What did Mark want?"

Mary shook her head, disgustingly. "Same old empty promises: he'll send a check soon, he'll come and visit soon, he'll take Norah soon. He did want to know why Norah calls you 'Dad' and calls him 'Mark'."

"Did you tell him why?" he queried.

"The sweetened version anyway." Mary chewed on her bottom lip. "I think it might be time; time to ask Mark to give up his paternal rights."

Marshall stood and kissed her temple. "If you think that's what is best, then I will stand behind you. You know I want her to be mine in every way that the others are."

Mary sighed. "She wants that, too. She's Daddy's Little Girl."

"Of course, she is. She's just like her mama." Marshall kissed her temple. "I should probably go supervise the rugrats."

"Marshall, wait," Mary called out. She grabbed his arm and pulled his hand to her stomach. She reached up with her other hand into his hair and pulled him down for a kiss. "I love you. I love this life that you've given me, moocher and all."

Marshall kissed her, again. "That's good. Because I love you and this life that you've given me."

Mary leaned her head against his chest. "Oh, my God. This kid is definitely going to be a boy, just like you. He's already turned me into a sap."

"And what a beautiful sap you are," he told her, kissing her again.

"See, I told you that Daddy wanted to kiss Mommy!" Norah exclaimed from the doorway.

Mary and Marshall turned to see all three girls giggling back at them. Marshall squeezed her hand before raising his hands widely. "Here comes the Daddy Monster!"

Mary laughed at the kids' squeals as Marshall chased them around house. She flopped down on the bed, holding her stomach. She was grateful for the many days they had like this, but even more grateful for the night that Marshall showed up in her backyard. Even if she would make him pay for the moocher currently playing havoc with her stomach.

THE END

 _Author's Note: Just wanted to show you a little glimpse into the every day life of Mary and Marshall._


End file.
